Top lift attachment



Oct. 27, 1953 E. H. HOFFMANN TOP LIFT ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 9, 1951 mw 5 mm a w... m F

m w 'A H w n E m Enter .4.

5 5 i r I Patented Oct. 27, 1953 TOP LIFT ATTACHMENT Eugene H. Hoflmann, University City, Mo., as-

signor to Plastic Patents, Incorporated, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application February 9, 1951, Serial No. 210,173

2 Claims.

This invention appertains to improvements in shoe heels formed from a plastic'molded material and in means for detachably affixing a top lift or heel tap to the base of a plastic molded heel.

The primary object of this invention is to prov'ide a plastic heel that can be nailed, in the ordinary manner, to a shoe and to which a shoe tap may be conventionally nailed.

Another object of this invention is to provide ient clip is frictionally engaged, the clip having a.

means, depending from the base surface of the heel for engaging a top lift and locking the top lift to the heel base.

These and ancillary objects and structural features of merit are attained by this invention, the preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the heel;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical. sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 5-4 of Figure 2, and,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the attaching clip and top lift.

In the illustrated embodiment of this invention, the heel I9 is molded from a suitable plastic material, such as cellulose acetate and includes a body I2, having an arcuate rear wall M and arcuate side walls It and 18, which form a prolongation of the rear wall. A straight front wall 26 provided and a front flange portion 22 overhangs the upper end of the front wall.

A seat forming top wall 24 is provided, the seat wall or portion 24 being concave and including the upper surface of the front flange portion 22.

A plurality of nail guiding or receiving recesses or openings 26 extend downwardly from the seat forming top wall 2t, in communication with the top wall, and are clustered around the seat portion 24, at the opposing side walls and rear wall of the body. The openings are clustered together in a pattern to cover the space normally within the area of the nails from "a nailing machine. Thus, the openings permit the otherwise nonpenetrable body to receive and engage with attaching nails or similar penetrating fastening elements.

Means is provided for attaching a replaceable top lift or heel tap 28 to the fiat base 30 of the body, the means including an axial opening 32 formed in the body and disposed parallel with the front wall 20. The opening is rectangular in cross section and includes opposing parallel end walls 34 and 36 and opposing side walls 38 and 40. The width of the opening 32 is reduced at a point at a substantial distance above its lower end to define shoulders 42 V and 44 on the side walls 34 and 36, respectively, and a narrow channel 48. The shoulders decline or slant laterally inwardly and downwardly.

A clip 46 is provided to be removablyinserted in the channel 48, the channel 48 being defined by the opposing side walls and end walls, downwardly from the shoulders. The base 30 of the heel is formed with a recess or countersunk portion 41, disposed concentric to the passage 48. The clip 46 includes a pair of inherently resilient legs 50 and 52, which are disposed in parallelism and are provided with looking terminals 54 and 56. The terminals 54 and 56 are preferably V- shaped and ofiset laterally outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the legs, the apices of the terminals being substantially arcuate. The ter-' minals include an inner end 58, which is offset outwardly from the axis of the legs and an inwardly directed free end til, the ends 58 of the locking terminals forming shoulders, adapted to seat on the shoulders 42 and 44.

The opposing ends of the legs are formed integral with the opposing marginal side edges of the bight portion 62 of a, U-shaped penetrating fastening member 64.

Parallel legs 66 and 66 project laterally from the opposing ends of the bight portion and are extended in opposite directions from the legs 50 and 52, the legs 64 and 68 being formed with V-shaped notches l6 and 12, thereby defining terminating points 14 and 16 on the outer ends of each of the legs.

As seen in Figure 3, the locking terminals of thelegs 50 and 52 are disposed above the shoulders 42 and 44, with the ends 58 of the locking terminals engaged on the shoulders and securely mounting the clip in the opening, with the legs 66 and 68 depending from the opening and extending beyond the base 30 for engagement in the top lift 28.

The top lift 28 may be formed of a suitable plastic or resilient material which is molded in a form with the legs 66 and 68 inserted in the top lift, during the setting of the material so that the top lift is molded transversely on the legs. Of course, the toplift may be cut from a sheet of leather material and then affixed, in any desired nanner, onto the legs 56 and 68.

For securing the heel to the shoe, a conventional nailing machine is employed, the nails being inserted in the openings 26, the openings being countersunk, at the heel seat, and the-nails being received in the openings. The clip is then inserted in the passage or openingwit-h. thele-gs held under compression and in a position with the free or locking ends converging. When the legs are disposed within the opening 18, they are, re-- leased and tend to spring apart, the looking ends riding on the Walls, until the top lift engages'the base, when the locking ends lockingly engage on the shoulders 42 and A l. The bight portion 62 is seated in the recess 41, so that it is disposed flush with the base.

In replacing the top lifts, after they become worn, new top lifts, having the clips attached thereto, would be mounted on the heel base in the foregoing manner.

For attaching a heel tap or top lift to the heel, without using the clip, the lower end of the heel is formed with a plurality of axial holes 80, open,- :3

ing into the base 30 and formed similar to the openings 26 in the upper portion of the heel. The holes 80 are clustered around the lower passage or opening 46 and are adapted to receive nails or similar penetrating elements, driven 3 through the replacement top lift, which is positioned on the base. The nails, used to secure the top lift or heel tap on the base of the heel, do not have to be aligned with the holes 80, since if a nail is deflected, it will strike another hole.

Of course, the clip 46 or similar anchoring member may be used, in coaction with the Opening or channel 46, in conjunction with theutilization of penetrating elements and the holes 80.

Having thus described this invention, what is L claimed is:

1. In a shoe heel, a heel body having av base surface on its lower end, a vertical opening formed in said body and opening at one end through said base surface, said vertical opening having 4 an upper part of relatively great width and a relatively narrow lower part whereby shoulders are defined at the upper end of the narrow lower part of said opening, and a heel lift comprising a heel lift body having a flat top and a clip secured to and projecting upwardly from said fiat top of the heel lift body, said clip comprising a pair of vertically elongated, laterally spaced, resilient legs, said legs terminating at their upper ends in laterally outwardly directed terminals offset at a greater distance than the width of the lower part of said opening and arranged to expand and engage the shoulders in the heel body opening with the clip inserted upwardly through e the opening.

2. In a shoe heel,- a heel body having a plane bottomsurfacaa vertical opening formed in said heelbody extending through said bottom surface, said opening having a relatively narrow lower portion and a wider upper portion defining lateral shoulders at the upper end of the lower portion, a heel lift body having a plane top arranged to engage the plane bottom surface of the heel body, and a clip fixed on said lift body comprising a single pair of laterally spaced spring legs rising from the plane top surface of the lift body in laterally spaced relationship to the sides of the lift body, said spring legs being normally parallel to each other and having terminals on their upper ends, said terminals comprising laterally outwardly proj ecting lower portions arranged to engage said shoulders when the legs are inserted upwardly through said opening, said lower portions terminating at their upper ends in laterally inwardly and upwardly directed terminal portions arranged tofacilitate insertion of the legsthrough the lower end of said opening and being arranged to be out of engagement with said side wall of said opening whilethe said lower portionsof the terminals are in engagement with said shoulders.

EUGENE H. HOFFMANN.

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,192,026 Caplan Feb. 2'7, 1940 2,266,575 Treece Dec. 16, 1941 2,308,103 Pearson et al Jan. 12, 1943 2,495,820 Peretti et al. Jan. 31, 1950 

